


Teach Me (the tables have turned)

by Strawmari



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: F/M, Kids Say the Darnedest Things, Marcus has a birthday, Mick has no control over what Rio does, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:21:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25018447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strawmari/pseuds/Strawmari
Summary: Marcus's birthday is coming up and Rio needs to learn how to bake a cake.
Relationships: Beth Boland/Rio
Comments: 38
Kudos: 322





	Teach Me (the tables have turned)

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Beth teaching Rio to bake (for @ThatGirlKatlyn)
> 
> I hope you enjoy and as always, thanks for reading!

It had been over a year since Beth participated in a bake sale at the kid's school. The gaping wound from the Thanksgiving disaster was still fresh and it felt as if someone poured salt on it whenever she attempted to bake cupcakes. 

Beth couldn't dwell on it forever, those women weren't her friends at the end of the day and she was in a better place emotionally now. 

She was working part time at the Paper Porcupine, washing cash through the spa store and was no longer on the outs with Rio.

The junior football league was hosting a bake sale to pay for their camp and it had crossed Beth's mind to just use a portion of her monthly cut and call it good, but Kenny insisted that she give her maple crumble another chance. It was a hit with her kids, but she knew how the parent's felt about gluten.

It honestly haunted her at night, the thought that she might've been one of those mother's before she found crime, before she accepted who she truly was. Annie swore up and down that wasn't the case, but she remembered trying so hard to fit in at the very beginning. 

"Whatcha makin, ma?".

Even after everything Rio felt comfortable letting himself into her house, and maybe Beth encouraged it by telling him the spare key was under the garden gnome closest to the rose bush.

"Maple crumble for the football fundraiser".

"And he likes that? Football?".

Beth let the spoon rest inside the bowl, that wasn't the first time he asked about her kid's likes and dislikes, at one point she even thought he was trying to correct her parenting when she said they liked to keep Kenny busy. It dawned on her recently that he was trying to get to know the parts of her that she kept locked away.

Jane absolutely loved him and was thrilled when he popped up at their house after rekindling their partnership. 

_"Rio! Rio's here, mommy" she exclaimed, running full speed ahead at the door._

_"Bubba, slow down okay?"._

_Rio knelt down and accepted the hug. A small smile formed on his face when Jane told him that she got front row in the squad's newest dance._

_"You have to come, mommy tell him he has to come"._

_"Let's get you ready for bed"._

Beth poured the ingredients into the molds and slid them into the oven, setting the timer for twenty minutes even though she'd have to check them before then.

"He does, wants to be like Dean".

"He played?".

She nodded, "all through highschool. He was the quarterback".

"Receiver" Rio provided, pointing to himself. 

Beth never would've guessed that he was an organized sports guy, there weren't any trophies or memorabilia around his loft. "Kenny's a receiver. He wants to try for a different position in the summer, he's been stuck on the bench all season".

"I can help the next week you got em".

"You?".

Rio hummed, rounding the kitchen island. "Give some pointers, then you can help me out with somethin".

"What?".

She could never be too careful when it came to Rio and his requests. Automatically agreeing could lead to a murder charge or three and she still didn't know where Mick's gun went. All she knew was that Rio kept it for safekeeping.

"Marcus's birthdays comin' up and he's over the store bought shit".

They received the birthday invitation last week, it was addressed to Jane and family in green crayon. Dean had a fit when he brought the stack of mail into the house, noticing Elizabeth scrawled across the back flap. While he didn't know anything about them using the spa for their cash, he knew exactly who called Beth by her full name and that was enough to bug.

_"I told you I didn't want him involved" Dean yelled, at least having the decency to wait until the kid's were asleep to start the argument because yes, that was the route it was heading._

_"He's not, Dean"._

_"Then why's he sending love letters?"._

_Beth's brows furrowed, "love letters? It's a birthday invitation for Jane"._

_Dean huffed, "Elizabeth…you don't want to stop seeing that man". And while the bite in his tone bothered her, for the first time in a long time he was right. Beth didn't want to walk away from Rio and it took almost losing him to realize that._

"You want me to bake him a cake?".

Rio shook his head, "car man's got the kids Saturday, right? Teach me".

It was Beth's turn to laugh because could anyone imagine Rio in an apron, yet alone one with a cooking pun on the front. 

"Why can't Rhea? I know she makes bundt cakes for his class all the time".

"Missed you".

It had only been two weeks since their last night together, but that felt like an eternity when the girls and Mick actively tried to keep them apart. They believed restrictions were key to ensuring their relationship didn't implode again.

That wasn't going to be a problem since they learned from their mistakes. Rio promised to never hand her another loaded gun, and Beth agreed not to shoot him with it if he broke that promise. They were on the same page and the sex was great, Beth couldn't lie when the girls asked.

There was no turning him down, well there was but Beth didn't necessarily want too, so she agreed. They would meet up Saturday morning at her house and get started on the two layer cake for Marcus's birthday party. But first things were first, she needed to drop the kids off at Dean's without Jane tattling on her. 

Saturday rapidly approached which was a nice change of pace considering the work week usually dragged on. Between wedding invitations, name cards and custom frames Beth was running thin at the shop, it also didn't help that she occasionally glanced at Lucy's now vacant desk, remembering every small detail about that night.

How they went there with the intention of blackmailing her with graphically staged photos of Au Jus, only to stumble upon Rio and Mick in the back room of Paper Porcupine forcing her to recreate the template for them. It happened so fast.

The short walk that she had taken hundreds of times before felt like a marathon, her feet were heavy as was her heart the second the gun went off. Beth knew it should've been her in the van, that she should've been the one buried in an unmarked grave outside of town, the only reason it wasn't her was because Rio couldn't look her in the eyes and do it – he never could.

It worked out in the end, although they still bickered during drops and had differing opinions when it came to sales practices. The knowledge that they were in a relationship still vexed Ruby, there wasn't a day that went by where she didn't question why. Dating the violent gang leader who threatened her life sounded insane, but Beth had done the same thing and there wasn't anything normal about what they felt for each other.

Annie tried to guess what happened between them in the past, not because she condoned it, but because the revelation that it was _one and done for the most part_ was too vague for her.

_"What exactly does for the most part mean like, boned in his G-wagon?"._

_"Could you not?" Ruby replied, at least appearing on her side for the moment._

_She was silent for a whole two minutes before, "was it two times, three? Tell me when I'm getting hotter.. four?". Annie's eyes widened in disbelief when Beth shook her head, there were somethings she preferred to keep to herself._

Beth successfully dropped the kids off without a hiccup, but that didn't mean Jane didn't have a mommy's friend speech ready for Dean the second she drove away. She was certain there would be a voicemail or two by the end of the night chewing her out about having him around the kids, asking if she was unaware of the dangers it posed to them. Even if Rio was hellbent on hurting her he would never harm the kids, and it pissed her off that anyone would believe otherwise.

_"Why don't you ask Mr. neck tats?"._

_"Are you suggesting that he took our child?"._

Rio got the dubby back and expected nothing in return. Why couldn't everyone see him the same way she did?

She ran to the store to get the ingredients for the cake, having used most of them the day prior. Maple crumble was all she needed to make, but out of habit she tossed in a couple apple muffins and cinnamon rolls.

Beth checked off her list as she made her way down the baking aisle. Baking powder, flour, sugar and vanilla extract. Now all she needed was eggs and milk which was at the other end of the store. Shopping was easy when her kids weren't tossing candy and toys into the cart. Danny was notorious for hiding action figures behind cereal boxes, knowing they would be at the checkout counter by the time she noticed and then he wouldn't have to put it back.

There was one more thing she needed to grab before calling it good, birthday candles. Now she couldn't speak for Marcus because they never attended one of his parties but Emma loved them. Seeing their little faces light up when they blew out the candles and made an outlandish wish like, to have a pet unicorn made spending the extra money worth it.

Now for the biggest decision of them all, did she pick the blue number six or stick with traditional candles. The last time she was torn between two choices that were exactly the same was when she gathered supplies for the Thanksgiving event at Jane's school. The fellow PTA moms couldn't decide whether plates with corn stalks were too sexual. 

_"They suck your soul out yet?"._

She would never admit it but Rio showing up at the park that day was a wake up call. It made her realize that she didn't want to walk away, that the something she wanted to be good at was crime, not becoming a four time muffin champion. He knew she wasn't that person, unlike Dean who kept hounding her to be the picture perfect wife who had dinner ready when he got home from work.

Beth tossed the blue numbered candle into the cart and went on with her business. 

■

"Hey, mama".

Beth looked up from the parchment paper and smiled, pretending she didn't see Rio pocket her spare house key at the door. "I was thinking chocolate".

It was during her late night security check that she noticed it was missing. They started checking all doors and windows to ensure they were locked after the hitman situation went awry, not that a locked door would prevent him from entering any of their houses. At first she panicked thinking Fitzpatrick found it and was waiting for the most opportune moment to kill her, but then Rio would show up the next day and have no trouble getting inside.

Rio always tucked his hands into his pockets when he walked through the kitchen, so Beth started to pay extra attention and sure enough it was there. He thought he was slick and she would continue to let him think it, the plan was for it to become his anyways. 

Beth finished gathering the rest of the supplies and gently placed the eggs onto the countertop. There were two choices of aprons, a pink one with the baking pun of 'that's how I roll' complete with a rolling pin, and a white one with a pickle that read 'I'm kind of a big dill". She held them out for him to choose and he picked the latter, not before raising his brows in amusement. They were gifts from Annie, no one said she was the best at it.

"You look ridiculous," Beth laughed, covering her mouth when he pulled the apron over his head.

"Is that right?".

She tied the strings behind her back and softly added, "and cute".

"What's that, ma?".

He knew full well what she said and Beth wasn't about to repeat herself, so she rolled her eyes and passed him the flour.

Beth set up the mixer and passed him the two sticks of butter, "add this and then put the mixer on medium-high until it looks light and fluffy".

He flipped the switch, causing the ingredients to fly all over. 

"It's fine" she snorted, helping him brush some sugar off his chest, "let's try it again".

Beth turned down the speed and passed him the first egg. He beat it on the edge of the counter and dropped it into the mixture before picking up the next one. Slowly but surely he seemed to be catching on.

After passing him the tablespoon of vanilla, Beth brought over the flour mixture and cup of milk. 

"You make this shit seem easy".

"Years of practice, don't spill the milk".

Once the batter looked smooth, they divided it up into the two pans and stuck them in the oven. Beth usually waited thirty minutes before sticking a toothpick into the middle to see if it was still runny. 

Rio watched in amazement as she quickly stirred up a batch of frosting, there really wasn't anything she couldn't do. "We have to make them cool and then we'll add this".

He hopped up on the counter and reached out, slipping his hands into her apron pouch, "thank you".

Beth stood between his legs, a little befuddled at his appreciation. In all of the years she's worked with him and for all the jobs they've done for him never once had those words escaped his lips. She never expected them too because they were partners. "Of course. I mean, I can't let you serve him a cake that tastes like salt".

Rio chuckled, tossing his head back slightly. He gently tugged on the apron, bringing her closer to himself. "Nah, I mean it".

She glanced down, watching him play with a loose thread on the pocket. 

Bringing her hands up to his face, Beth pressed her lips to his, smiling into it when he squeezed her ass.

Their frolic ended when the timer went off and Rio reluctantly pulled back, tongue darting out over his bottom lip, "it's gotta cool, ma".

"I have to check it".

"Ain't gotta do all that" he said, grinning as he tightened his hold on her hips.

"It'll burn if we leave in too long. Plus the faster this gets done…" She trailed off, walking her fingers across his thigh.

Rio knew exactly what she was insinuating and hopped off the counter. He grabbed a towel so that he could take the pans out of the oven without burning himself, then stepped aside so she could poke the cakes in the center. The toothpicks came out clear which meant the cake was done.

They cooled for ten minutes and then Beth ran a knife around the edge of the pans, placing the trimmed cakes onto the display plate. Beth tasted the scraps to ensure it wasn't a complete disaster. 

She remembered teaching Annie how to make a buckle, they followed the recipe down to the last step and it still managed to taste like crap, she never tried it again.

"And I found this spiderman figure, I thought it'd be cute on top with the frosting".

"He'll like that".

Beth added the blue trim around the cake and let him place the cover over the plate. "Not bad for your first cake, you only got twelve more to go".

Moving a gallon of milk from the second shelf to the top, she slid in the cake carrier so the buttercream wouldn't melt further. She was letting Rio borrow it because watching him fumble with pans on the way out to his car or fight with foil to keep the frosting intact would be cruel.

Rio pulled her back against his chest, his hand resting on her stomach to hold her close, "whatya thinkin?"

There were no more murderous hitmen after them, delayed hot tub deliveries or concern from Annie, it was just them enjoying each other's company.

"Bedroom". 

Closing the door was a habit for Beth, even when the kids were away and Rio found it cute, it was right up there with her unpaired socks. 

The other day they were scoping out a possible investment and Mick tagged along, it was after a vote of three to two determined they shouldn't be alone. Halfway up the gravel driveway, Beth felt like she had rocks in her shoes so she did what anyone would do in that situation, she beckoned Mick over and held onto his shoulder as she unzipped boot after boot to shake out the pebbles. It took everything in Rio's power not to smile at one of her socks having green polka dots while the other had orange stripes. It was such a dad thing to like and he couldn't ruin his reputation in front of his boys.

Beth playfully pushed Rio onto the bed and lowered herself on his lap.

Slipping a finger under her bra strap, she pushed it off her shoulder and knew it was the right amount of teasing when he said, "take it off, Elizabeth".

Unhooking the clasp, she kept it against her chest and rocked her hips against him.

"Fuck" he groaned, "do I gotta bake another cake?".

Beth laughed loudly, not expecting those to be his next words. It actually wasn't the worst idea and if she knew there were enough ingredients to make another one, she would've taken him up on it.

Tossing her bra to the side, she dropped her hands and ran them up his chest. 

Rio slipped his hand between their bodies, circling her clit. She moaned, holding onto his wrist as his thrusts became more desperate. 

"Shit –Rio" she screamed, clenching around him.

He slowed down, enjoying the feel of her and Beth took the opportunity to pull him into a kiss, opening her mouth when his tongue brushed her lips. 

When Beth sat back up, he resumed pounding into her, eating up the soft moans spewing from her lips and eventually spilled inside of her.

She rolled off, her legs hanging off the bed, "you want a slice of cake?".

"I ain't makin' another one".

Beth sat up, body starting to ache, "don't get mad, but I made one before you arrived just in case–".

"Damn, ma, that's cold".

She got off the bed and grabbed his hand, giving it a gentle tug, "Come on, I'll throw on the dill apron"

Rio looked at her for a moment, then smirked, "he ever fuck you over that sink?".

Dean. And while Beth never shared details of her divorce with Rio, especially not the intimate stuff, she wanted to play it out and see where he was going with it. 

"He tried, it was your fault though".

He cocked his head, brows creased in confusion, "and how's that?".

" _Hell, you'd look so much better on top of it"_ she imitated, doing her best to drop her voice several octaves. 

A mile wide smile appeared on his face, "should make it up to you then, huh?".

"What about the cake?".

"I'm good havin' two desserts" she let out a shuddered breath, pressing her thighs together which didn't go unnoticed by Rio.

■

Beth cut them each a slice of marble cake and while both tasted great, Beth was glad they decided on chocolate. It also gave Rio bragging rights at the party which she knew he'd love. 

Rio's cake remained untouched as he leaned against the counter, watching Beth lick some buttercream off of her finger. 

She held out her fork, "just eat it".

There was a glint in Rio's eyes that told her those were the exact words he was waiting for. He slowly made his way over to the kitchen island where she was sitting, something Beth only did when he was around. It was like his inability to sit on chairs correctly rubbed off on her. 

Beth knew where the evening was heading and decided to take control by pulling him into a kiss. It worked for a while with him tugging her hair to suck on her neck and Beth's tongue brushing over his tattoo, the run of the mill makeout session for them.

Then Rio's hand dipped between her legs.

Beth closed her eyes, breathless whimpers escaping her lips as he circled her clit. "Please" she raised her hips to try and get more friction, but everytime she did Rio removed his hand.

She leaned back and placed her leg on his shoulder, feeling his breath on her pussy before his tongue slipped between her folds.

"Yeah" she moaned, running her fingers over his short hair. Then came four loud knocks on the kitchen door and they knew it was either Mick or Annie coming to complain that they weren't answering their phones. "Your key's gone, let me in".

Beth groaned, of course it was Annie. She was adamant on getting to the bottom of their relationship. "Come back in an hour".

Annie mumbled something along the lines of Mick failing to watch Rio and tried once more to wiggle the doorknob. "Make good decisions, baby girl".

"You makin' good decisions?" Rio asked, caressing her inner thigh. He wasn't even offended by Annie's comment.

"I'd think so".

■

Beth fidgeted with curly ribbon on top of the present, nervous about facing Rhea for the first time since the blowup. 

She panicked and called in a favor, knowing already how fucking twisted it was befriending the ex of the man she almost murdered. It was almost as fucking insane as dating that very man months later. No wonder Beth drank a lot of bourbon, it was the only way to make sense of the tangled web in front of her.

"Hi" she said, dropping the present off at the table where Rhea was standing. Ruby told her that there was no avoiding Rhea at the birthday party, so she might as well bite the bullet at the beginning and make her presence known. While Ruby hadn't come around to the idea of her and Rio, she would never ignore Beth's pleas for advice.

"Chris said you'd be here".

"So you know?"

Rhea squeezed the bridge of her nose, letting out a sharp breath, "I don't know what's going on between you two and honestly, I'm not sure that I want too, but don't try that again or we will have problems".

Beth nodded, tucking some hair behind her ear. It was understandable that Rhea wouldn't be as open towards her and that at the end of the day she was on Rio's side.

"And thanks for the cake, Marcus loved it and I know Chris can't bake for shit".

"He actually did it. I mean, I helped but that was all him".

Rio called out for Beth, it was time for Marcus to blow out the candles and for a brief second Rhea seemed genuinely happy for them, motioning for Beth to follow her to the heart of the party. 

"Make a wish baby" Rhea said, wrapping her arm around Marcus's shoulders.

Marcus closed his eyes, "I want Jane to be my sister".

A couple of the parents around them cackled as Rio asked if there was anything else he wanted, like, a new bicycle or another visit to Legoland. Jane was giddy, yanking on Beth's hand as if she were the key to making the wish come true. 

"Legoland is after, daddy".

**Author's Note:**

> Huge thanks to @floweringrebel for looking over a couple sections that were driving me bonkers ❤
> 
> Thanks again for reading & for any kudos/comments you may leave!
> 
> I'm on tumblr @ xstrawmari


End file.
